


Feed the Lost Ones

by kishuku



Category: IT - Stephen King, Mary Poppins (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29006388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kishuku/pseuds/kishuku
Summary: A shared-universe, in which the Practically Perfect Nanny throws down with the Dancing Clown under Derry.
Kudos: 3





	Feed the Lost Ones

**Author's Note:**

> This short story occurs just after the events of It-Chapter One and before Pennywise's 27 year sleep after the Losers Club escape the first time.

"What a dreary little town," she murmured as she floated over the water tower which still proclaimed itself 'Derry'. "I shall never understand why It chose this town. London is so much more metropolitan and the children far more plentiful."

"What I don't understand is why we're here at all," a scratchy squawky voice demanded.

"Oh hush, there simply aren't that many of us here. I'm just being neighbourly," the floating woman replied. She wore a sensible hat with a few small decorative flowers that looked, smelled, and stayed fresh regardless of the season. She wore a simple knee-length black coat over a white dress shirt and a thick woolen skirt. Her heels were also sensible, black with a single buckle each. In one hand she held an umbrella with a decorative parrot head and in the other she carried a carpet bag.

After being reprimanded and told to hush, the voice wisely chose to remain silent.

"Ah. There it is," she landed on the front porch of the dilapidated Neibolt house and despite it's weary structure the porch was too terrified to even creak as her sensible heels settled down with a click.

She gave the door a stern glare and it opened silently under the look, welcoming her inside without a single warning squeak or groan. Tucking the parrot umbrella underneath her arm she stepped inside and placed her carpet bag on the floor just inside the door. The door closed itself behind her gently.

"Positively filthy," she declared as she lifted her hat from her tightly bunned black hair. A hook on the wall hurriedly shook itself to rid itself of dust before she covered it in darkness by hanging her hat upon it.

She wandered through the rooms for a few minutes then spotted the door to the basement. It swung open with a hint of shame, as though embarrassed to be judged like the rest of the house had been.

The woman stood at the top of the stairs and stared down into the darkness before she sighed and murmured, "Well, if we must, we must."

Down down down into the belly of the Neibolt house she went and it was down down down under Derry.

Things and places always behaved differently around her and Derry was no different. She didn't have to crawl through the sewers or fall down the well, instead she stepped out of a large tunnel into Pennywise's lair.

She made a soft noise of disgust as she took in the pile of junk, muck and garbage the clown had collected over the centuries. She clucked her tongue disapprovingly at the floating bodies of the dead that continued to swirl above the trash tower.

"Penny! Penny, darling!" She crooned as she minced gingerly over a bloody fence post and a child's broken wagon. Her shoes never sank into the stagnant water that pooled in the low places around the funeral mound of childish collections.

A small figure dressed in a yellow raincoat darted out and confronted her as she rounded the mountain of debris. The woman smiled and leaned over just enough to attempt to glimpse under the hood of the raincoat. "Oh my! Another Georgie, I see! I'm glad to see Penny and I still share some proclivities." She smiled at the child, but it remained stiff and stone silent. "Well, Georgie. Do be a lamb and fetch Penny for me. You can tell him Mary Poppins is here to see him."

The figure of Georgie paused and considered her request for a moment, then turned and pointed toward the gaping hole behind the mountain.

"Thank you," Mary said crisply as she straightened up to her full height and stepped around the child. She leaned over the edge and peered down into the endless darkness.

"Penny!"

She waited, sighed, and called down, "Pennywise! Do not make me come down there!"

Then a soft hissing voice rose up from deep under Derry and it asked, "Mary?"

"Pennywise, do come up here. I believe we need to talk. Georgie here has been sharing all sorts of details with me and I am quite concerned." Mary glanced about for a suitable seat and an old wooden carousel horse offered itself up to her. It shook off the dust, but couldn't do anything about it's faded paint. She perched on it side-saddle and waited for Penny to collect himself.

As she waited a song floated up from the gaping wound in the earth.

_"Oranges and lemons,  
Say the bells at St. Clement's._

_Would you go up or go down,  
To ring the bells of old London town?_

_I do not know,  
Says the great bell at Bow._

_And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!  
Chip chop chip chop until the last one is dead!"_

Mary listened, her head tilted towards the source of the sound of the echoing hiss. "Charming, Pennywise.” She sang back:

_Penny, Penny, do you need me?  
Ask the bells of Old Bailey._

_Did you fall down into your own Hell?  
Ask the bells of White Chapel."_

A bone white hand clawed its way over the edge of the hole followed by the owner of the sing-song-like hiss. "Mary Poppins in Derry? Practically perfect in every way."

"How nice of you to remember, Penny. Do come up so we can have a proper chat about your recent antics."

The Pennywise that clambered from the pit was still the broken damaged pitiful thing It had been when It had fallen down inside. The hissing voice blew and sighed through a torn throat and Its head from brow to crown still leaked black droplets and fragments of skull that hovered hesitantly around it like a hellish halo. It crawled onto the lip of the hole and crouched there like a long limbed spider. It watched the woman with unblinking eyes.

"Oh dearie, you are a sight, aren't you?" Mary exclaimed calmly. "Let's see if we can't get you tidied up a bit," she absentmindedly hummed a familiar tune as she flicked her fingers at the grimy sad looking clown.

The filth, muck, and blood slithered free of the ruffles and pompoms, dropping to the floor in a rain of dust. The cracked bits of skull settled in their correct places, a few chipped pieces zipping into place from the ground at Mary's feet. The dangly skin wound back together, twisting and twitching until the black raspy interior was hidden from view again. The ruffles were once again white and the pompoms once again blood red.

"....in a most delightful way," she finished with a final flourish of her hand.

"Not delightful! I don't need you!" It snarled at her, now that It's throat was whole and It could. It straightened up onto two legs and glowered at the woman invading It's lair.

Mary merely lifted a single perfect eyebrow at that declaration, "On the contrary, you're barely holding yourself together. Quite literally a few moments ago. And Georgie here tells me a handful of children did all that to you." She clucked her tongue at It. "I've always told you joy and laughter are easier and last longer." She glanced behind her and lifted her gaze pointedly at the floating dead, "How many do you have here? A good dozen or more, I'd wager, if I were the gambling type. Not that I am."

Mary turned back to face the angry clown, "Penny, don't you think it's time you came with me? How much longer do you think you can possibly keep this up?"

"Joy and happiness aren't my palate," It snorted, rolling Its eyes at the thought of having to choke down childish delight and joy. "I prefer the taste of fear. And," It added with a giggle, "I like the screams."

"Hm," she considered Pennywise's state and took in the entire underground lair at a glance. She sighed, "I had hoped you'd listen to reason." Mary stood up and brushed her skirts down carefully and checked the buttons on her coat. "I suppose this will be the last time I see you Pennywise."

"What? Why?" the clown moaned and whined.

Mary gave him a sharp look, "Because any simpleton can see you haven't enough energy here to sustain you for another 27 years. That boy was right when he said you would starve during your long sleep."

"Then help me!" It whined. "Bring me a morsel to feed on, just one more would be enough."

Mary made a disgusted noise through her nose, "Me? Kidnap you a child? Never!"

Pennywise's face twisted. Its eyes narrowed and Its teeth lengthened as Its jaw dropped down down down and it's head lifted up back back back. Bring orange lights beamed from deep within it's gullet, highlighting dozens of teeth that ran down its insides. The strange overwhelming thunder languidly rolled through the air surrounding them, vibrating everything and making the tiny stones and toys jump in terror, skittering across the floor in all directions. Pennywise swelled like a waterlogged balloon until he loomed over Mary Poppins, limbs dangling and swinging like dead men in a hangman's noose.

"Maaaaaaarrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Pleeeeeeee-sssssssss!"

The Deadlights swirled and danced as they tried to possess Mary Poppins, their orange light reflecting and flickering in her dark eyes.

"How vulgar,” she lifted the umbrella and held the parrot handle up to face the glowing lights.

The bird's eyes mirrored the orange lights for a second before its own beak dropped open and three tiny green lights burst forth, swirling and twisting as they slammed into the orange Deadlights just emerging from the clown's mouth. Pennywise choked and gasped, the Deadlights dove back down inside as the green ones returned and circled the parrot's head before disappearing back inside, their work done. The clown fell to Its knees, deflating, hands clutching at Its own throat until It was white knuckled.

"Well, that didn't go as planned, now did it?" Mary asked mildly as Pennywise fell to the floor gasping, choking, and retching. The scraping noise bounced and echoed crazily throughout the empty cavern.

"It's…. another…. of Us?" the clown finally managed as It pointed a shaking hand at the umbrella.

"Yes, I found it about two centuries ago. Poor thing was half dead from starvation, hiding in a cemetery and sipping at the grief of mourners." She gave it a quick pat on the beak with one finger, "Now walking the streets of London are enough to keep it fed."

"The father and children from the last family were delicious. Dead wife. Dearly departed mummy," the parrot squawked with the voice that had spoken earlier and made a smacking sound despite its lack of lips.

Pennywise made a wheezing laugh, "And you want me to go? With you? What will I be? A lampshade? A plant? A dancing clown toy?"

"I hadn't really considered the logistics of it all, to be fair. But you wouldn't be hungry," she tried again. "Not on the streets of London. Plenty of fear there. Fear of not being pretty enough, smart enough, wealthy enough."

Pennywise made a derisive sound somewhere inside Its face, "That's not the same. I want their terror, their panic."

"Derry is dying! And you along with it," she snapped. “There is no future here, only death.”

The two entities stared at each other, each trying to force the other to their will. Pennywise's eyes glowed orange briefly, the Deadlights deep down inside spinning so furiously that the light oozed out through the clown’s pores and through Its clothes. Mary Poppins's eyes burned a deep blue in response.

The rolling hum of thunder began again, this time stronger. Strong enough that the mountain of junk began to shake itself apart, broken bicycles and dolls, marbles and colored pencils, tumbled down as it crumbled. The avalanche knocked the wooden carousel horse onto its side and buried it as Mary Poppins lifted into the air, sensible heels hovering inches above the roiling waves of broken dreams and dead end futures. Georgie and his yellow rain slicker silently disappeared under the avalanche. Pennywise was caught in the collapse, but swam against the current, screaming in fury as It struggled to stay on the surface. Even the dead ceased their eternal swirling dance to watch as the Dancing Clown Under Derry struggled. Extra limbs burst from the clown and scrabbled, clicking and scratching, against the tidal wave of human detritus.

Eventually the mountain rested and the spider-like Pennywise climbed out of the mess and crouched there roaring with rage at the woman above him. The dead twitched and shivered.

"Penny--”

“I. Don’t. Need. You!” It snarled. "I'm not a child!"

Mary’s lips pressed into a thin line of disapproval, but she nodded. "Quite right. Good-bye, Penny."

Then without another word she rose higher and higher, the floating dead parting around her as she rose toward the opening above. Below her It was already ignoring her, digging at the junk looking for the stage of the Dancing Clown. The dead were the only ones to watch her go, staring up after her with hollow forlorn longing in their blank eyes.

"That's gratitude for you. You patched It up and even gave It a good dose of energy to get It through the next 27 years!" the parrot let out an indignant squawk. "It didn't even say good-bye," the bird head groused as they soared up into a fresh breeze, out of the still stagnant air of the sewer.

"No, they never do," Mary Poppins said as she hovered over the grass near the opening. They were now behind the Neibolt house and could just see it off in the distance, the dilapidated roof sagging under the weight of the burning sun.

"Do you think this is really the last time you'll see It?" the parrot asked.

"If those children come back for It, then yes. Indubitably," she said as her sensible heels settled down on the grass and she walked back toward the house at a quick no nonsense pace.

"I think It's lost Its way," the parrot grumbled.

Mary smiled sadly, "Nothing's lost forever, just out of place."

It went unspoken between them. The three of them were indeed very out of place.

It would never matter how many children she saved or how many loved her. There was never a place for her in their lives. That was the thing Pennywise understood better than she did, It didn’t attempt to find a place for itself in the lives of humans. Pennywise just took and took and took because giving hurt too much, even for their kind.

The carpet bag sat outside, waiting for her on the porch and the front door was now shut firmly into its frame. The hat covered the handle of the bag. Mary lifted it and placed it neatly on her jet black hair and grabbed the bag in the other hand.

Mary Poppins squared her shoulders, shook out the black umbrella, raised it overhead and stepped off the porch. "And off we go,” she whispered to no one in particular.

She floated away. Never to return to Derry.

**Author's Note:**

> Credit due where credit is owed. A friend of mine had posted this on their FB and the muses came for my brain.
> 
> by: James Angle (via FB)
> 
> Mary Poppins and Pennywise are creatures of the same species.
> 
> Each returns every 20-something years (Pennywise 27, Mary Poppins 25) to regenerate energy from a new group of children, but also have a tendency to return to those they met on their last visit (Pennywise returns to the Losers, Mary Poppins returns to the Bankses.)
> 
> Mary Poppins manages to maintain energy for 25 years despite interacting with less children than Pennywise requires for 27 years as she relies on children's joy, unlike Pennywise who relies on their fear, and as proven in Monsters Inc children's laughter is worth more than their fear.
> 
> Upon each of their returns, they draw a child named Georgie away from their siblings with a paper toy, then appear alongside that toy to return it to Georgie (Mary Poppins returns Georgie's kite, Pennywise acts as though he's returning Georgie's boat.)
> 
> Each has the same set of powers, in which they can take advantage of what lies in the children's minds (Mary Poppins uses their imagination, Pennywise uses their fear.)
> 
> Mary Poppins famously has a living reflection that can function separately from her, and Pennywise is shown to share this ability in Chapter Two.
> 
> In each of these stories, the parents are oblivious to the fantastical situations being experienced by the children.
> 
> The Losers club forget their experiences as children until Pennywise returns, and although the Banks children do not forget Mary Poppins, they do forget that the magical experiences actually happened, and they remember Mary Poppins as just a nanny.
> 
> Each has a love for singing and dancing, which should be obvious for Mary Poppins, but becomes clearer for Pennywise when you remember that he refers to himself as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, dances for Beverly in Chapter One, and sings for Richie in Chapter Two.
> 
> Pennywise is heavily associated with the song Oranges and Lemons, which is a song about old London, where Mary Poppins lives, showing that Pennywise has an awareness that another member of his species is out there, and he knows exactly where they are.
> 
> At the end of Mary Poppins returns, the characters all grab balloons and float into the air, and balloons and floating are both highly associated with Pennywise.
> 
> I now formally demand that Stephen King and Disney collaborate on a shared-universe project, in which the Practically Perfect Nanny throws down with the Dancing Clown under Derry.


End file.
